Escalator Guide Rail Fastening via Clamping Bar and Screw
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail fastening devices for escalators and moving walkways require welding, which is impractical and unsafe at the site of use due to access restrictions and potential for warpage, leading to inefficient and costly assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A rail fastening device comprising a rail receiving part, a screw connection, and a clamping bar piece, which can be pre-assembled and easily installed on a side plate with a hole, allowing for precise and simple assembly without welding, by using a clamping mechanism that secures the guide rail section through the side plate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If welding is used to fasten guide rail sections to side plates, then manufacturing precision and strength are improved, but ease of operation and safety at site of use deteriorate due to access restrictions and warpage risks
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is divided into separate components: a fastening device with clamping elements that can be independently positioned and adjusted, rather than requiring monolithic welding. This allows precise alignment through mechanical adjustment while avoiding welding operations at the installation site.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal welding process with a mechanical fastening system using clamping devices and tensioning elements. This substitution eliminates heat-related warpage issues and allows for precise mechanical alignment and adjustment during installation without requiring welding equipment or specialized welding conditions.
2Ease of manufacture
If welding is performed at site of use, then assembly is completed, but loss of time and cost increase due to extensive preparation and safety restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening devices are designed to be pre-assembled and pre-positioned on the side plates during manufacturing, before installation at the site of use. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site welding operations, as the mechanical fastening components are already in place and simply need to be secured with bolts or similar fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the welding process with a mechanical fastening system, the patent enables rapid assembly using simple bolting operations instead of requiring extensive welding preparation, equipment setup, and post-weld cooling time. This mechanical approach dramatically reduces assembly time while maintaining structural integrity.
3Ease of repair
If welding is used to replace worn guide rail sections, then guide rail sections can be replaced, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to heat-induced warpage of the structural framework
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal welding process with a cold mechanical fastening system that uses clamping devices and tensioning elements to secure guide rail sections. This eliminates heat generation entirely, preventing thermal warpage of the surrounding structural framework while still providing strong, reliable attachment of the guide rail sections during repair operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical fastening device acts as an intermediary between the guide rail section and the side plate, providing a secure connection without direct thermal interaction with the structural framework. This intermediary mechanical system transfers loads through clamping forces rather than heat, thereby preventing harmful thermal effects on the surrounding structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables quick, cost-effective, and precise assembly of guide rail sections at the site of use, ensuring proper alignment and synchronization of moving elements, while avoiding the risks associated with welding on existing structures.
Implementation Method 1
the clamping bar piece (29) is pivotable, relative to the rail receiving part (25), about the central longitudinal axis (43) of the screw connection (27)
Implementation Method 2
Tightening the tensioning screws tensions the guide rail against the front side of the side plate, since the guide rail is firmly clamped between a lug of the rail receiving region and the side plate by tightening the tensioning screws
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a rail fastening device for fastening guide rail sections in a guide rail system of an escalator or a moving walkway. The guide rail system includes at least one side plate having a hole, wherein the area of the hole has a hole length which is greater than its hole width. The rail fastening device has a rail receiving part, a screw connection and a clamping bar piece, wherein the length and width of the clamping bar piece match the hole width and the hole length of the hole such that said clamping bar piece can be guided through the hole in a first position and can be supported on the material of the side plate surrounding the hole in a second position, in the fully assembled state.